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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Why I Love Philosophy

Alice C. Linsley

I have been teaching philosophy at the university and high schools levels for over 15 years. Some of my former students have gone on to become philosophy majors and philosophy teachers. It is gratifying that some stay in contact with me. They tell me that my approach to teaching philosophy is unique and that they wish others would employ a similar method of engaging students with the great minds of history.

I love philosophy because it is the single discipline in which we may discuss everything. We are given permission to question everything, to test the validity of ideas, and to learn how to think more deeply.

My philosophy students are asked to consider questions. What is real? How do we know? Is there objective truth? Is it possible to know the true nature of something? What can be known? What are the limits of human understanding? Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? Does innate knowledge exist? Is it possible to understand natural phenomena solely on the basis of observation and the senses?

“The real question is why is there 'being'? The existence of existence is amazing, awesome.” ― Gerald Schroeder

What is the mind? How is it related to the body? Is there a soul?

What constitutes authority? What are the proper limits of government? What makes a good society?

In our studies and conversations, we encounter philosophers who recognize the importance of the imagination: Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Berkeley. Imagination plays a key role in my method. I end each unit of study by asking students to role play.

Students begin the semester by selecting a philosopher from a list I provide. They are to read selections of writings by this person and a few general articles about the person. Based on what they have learned they design a hat. This hat is worn in the Great Minds Forums. As long as the student is wearing the hat, they must remain in the role of that philosopher. If they wish to speak as themselves, they remove the hat. I wear the hat of Socrates and at the beginning of the forum I pose 3 questions. These are written on the board. I then ask one of the philosophers present to address the first question. They may then address the question to another philosopher. If a student makes remarks that are not consistent with the philosopher in question, I point that out and ask them to rephrase their comment.

By this means students are able to see the development, interaction and connection of ideas across centuries. Plato may engage Aristotle and Aristotle may engage Hume. Hume may challenge Descartes and Descartes may critique Spinoza or Berkeley. Rand faces off with Marx and John B. Rawls. Derrida engages Martin Heidegger, and Elizabeth Anscombe probes the moral thought of Nietzsche.

Only eight students participate in the Great Minds Forum. They are arranged in a circle and the other students observe the forum from their seats. Every student is given an opportunity to participate in at least one forum. It takes two full class sessions to address the three questions posed by Socrates.